Comics aren't the centerpiece of comic-cons anymore. For better or worse, the nerd gatherings that bear that nomenclature feature all sorts of pop culture, but I guess "culture-con" doesn't roll off the tongue quite so appealingly.

Anywho, New York City's very own comic-con kicks off this week and among the many exhibitors on hand will be Square Enix, showing off a handful of titles with some of them playable in booths 622 and 630.

"The Missing Link" DLC due out for Deus Ex: Human Revolution will be on hand, and presumably playable since it's out later this month. Ankama's massive online role-playing PC game Wakfu will be there, as will the 3DS action/adventure game Heroes of Ruin. Attendees will also get a peek at Final Fantasy XIII-2, the sequel to last year's release that's due out in the United States and Europe in January and February 2012, respectively. And, if you're in NYC, still haven't gotten Dead Island, and want to test the veracity of Crecente's claims, then the first-person zombiepocalypse will be there, too.

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If you're into the whole cultural learnings thing, there'll be a panel called "East Meets West: Art Direction for a Worldwide Audience" on the aesthethics of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Final Fantasy XIII-2. The panel happens at 10:45 a.m. on Friday. There'll be concept art on display so head on through if you want glimpses of what to expect from the next Final Fantasy game.

Team Kotaku will be covering the holy heck out of New York Comic-Con 2011, so expect updates as the week goes on.